ENDOCRINE FUNCTIONS OF THE PLACENTA

在美国每年出生的婴儿中每十三个中就有一个是 太早，太小，或两者兼而有之。 低出生体重婴儿占70%， 所有新生儿死亡。 如果早产儿和低体重儿的数量 婴儿可以减少，许多婴儿可以得救。 可惜 导致灵长类动物分娩开始的机制和激素 控制胎儿发育的因素仍然知之甚少。 我会 使用长期插管的恒河猴胎儿和双同位素 放射性示踪剂灌注技术，以研究内分泌功能， 胎盘，因为它们与胎儿内分泌环境的调节和 控制分娩。 这项修改后的拨款重点是胎盘如何 作为母体和胎儿之间的界面， 两个循环之间的交换。 研究的相互作用是 仅限于涉及胎盘和肾上腺的疾病， 对分娩有重要意义。 具体来说，我将：1） 确定胎盘分泌雌激素是如何受到胎儿 肾上腺前体与母体肾上腺前体，以及2）确定 胎儿和母体肾上腺类固醇的产生存在昼夜节律 率，如果母体肾上腺功能调节胎儿肾上腺活性 (and因此分娩的时间）通过母体的经胎盘通道 皮质醇进入胎儿的血液循环 该补助金的长期目标是 1）确定胎盘如何控制激素之间的相互作用 母亲和胎儿，并确定是否经胎盘通过母体 激素调节胎儿内分泌系统的发育， 产程的时机，2）继续提高我们的宫内手术 技术和长期插管的恒河猴胎仔制备 所以人类的健康可以通过研究子宫内的灵长类胎儿来改善。

One in every thirteen babies born each year in the United States is born too early, too small, or both. Low-birth-weight infants account for 70% of all neonatal deaths. If the number of premature and low-birth-weight infants could be reduced, many babies would be saved. Unfortunately, the mechanisms leading to the initiation of labor in primates and the hormonal factors controlling fetal development are still poorly understood. I will use chronically catherized rhesus monkey fetuses and double isotope radiotracer infusion techniques, to study endocrine functions of the placenta as they relate to modulation of the fetal endocrine milieu and the control of parturition. This revised grant is focused on how the placenta acts as an interface between the mother and fetus with respect to steroidal exchange between the two circulations. The interactions studied are limited only to those that involve the placenta and adrenal glands and that have significance with respect to parturition. Specifically I will: 1) Determine how placental secretion of estrogens is influenced by fetal adrenal precursors versus maternal adrenal precursors, and 2) determine if circadian rhythams exists in fetal and maternal adrenal steroid production rates, and if maternal adrenal function modulates fetal adrenal activity (and thus the timing of labor) by transplacental passage of maternal cortisol into the fetal circulation. The long-term goals of this grant are to: 1) Determine how the placenta controls hormonal interactions between mother and fetus, and determine whether transplacental passage of maternal hormones modulate development of the fetal endocrine system and influence the timing of labor, and 2) continue to improve our intrauterine surgical techniques and the chronically catherized rhesus monkey fetal preparation so that human health can be improved by studying a primate fetus in utero.